Fatal Attraction: 4000 Al Qaeda dead in Iraq
A release from CBS News and the Associated Press in Cairo.
The lede:
The new leader of al Qaeda in Iraq said in an audiotape posted on the Internet Thursday that more than 4,000 foreign insurgent fighters have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
“The blood has been spilled in Iraq of more than 4,000 foreigners who came to fight,” said the man, who identified himself as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir - also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri - the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, though the voice could not be independently identified.
The Arabic word he used indicated he was speaking about foreigners who joined the insurgency in Iraq, not coalition troops.
A death cult exalts death– that’s all they have to exalt.
Looks like the fatal attractor is working. See this column from January 2003.
The tender shoots of freedom are nourished by the blood of tyrants and terrorists.
Comment by TallDave — 9/28/2006 @ 12:01 pm
Martyrdom, that’s the ticket… This is a brag, believe it or not. Looks like the flypaper is still working."The new leader of al Qaeda in Iraq said in an audiotape posted on the Internet Thursday that more than 4,000 foreign insurgent fighters have been……
Trackback by THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER — 9/28/2006 @ 12:17 pm
Is that all? It will many more, they have taken the bait and keep on coming like the mice they are.
Comment by Rightmom — 9/28/2006 @ 12:34 pm
That is, I take it, in addition to those bagged in Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world. And he probably has understated his casualty count, too.
Comment by Harold C. Hutchison — 9/28/2006 @ 12:38 pm
[…] …as in 4000 dead terrorists according to an audiotape from the current leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq. That’s the approximate number of foreign jihadis who have been killed in Iraq since the beginning of the war — and that’s probably on the low side of the spectrum. […]
Pingback by Jay Reding.com - 4000 Good Terrorists — 9/28/2006 @ 1:00 pm
Dear al Queda “fighter” - Welcome to Iraq and the justice of the Iraqi People. One of the most popular sites is the Foreign Fighter Dirt Nap Park. Enjoy your short sojourn.
Comment by John Greene — 9/28/2006 @ 1:02 pm
There should be an appropriate memorial to those 4,000 dead terrorists. Say, a small sandbox at an Army firing range filled with 4,000 small clay pig statues.
Comment by Brother Bark — 9/28/2006 @ 1:16 pm
It’s probably a lot more than 4,000, these people lie to each other constantly, but they lie to us even more. On the other hand, does this guy come out of his hidey-hole often enough to know anything about the outside world (besides the fact that he’l be meeting Allah pretty damn quick if he pokes out of his hidey hole too long. We need to encourage more of them to meet Allah ASAP.
Comment by Brian — 9/28/2006 @ 1:47 pm
I hope that number is low. It isn’t even half again as much as our own fatalities. We’ve been told that our kill rate of these guys was some astronomical multiple of our own losses.
Comment by The Sanity Inspector — 9/28/2006 @ 3:13 pm
to quote Star Trek TNG: “Kill zem. Kill zem all.”
Comment by Paul A. Gaddis — 9/28/2006 @ 3:15 pm
4,000?! Do you think Abu might have left a zero off of that guesstimate?! Abu might also want to check that number with his friends at the New York Times. I believe the NYT has Our Boys killing 3x that number, just at innocent Iraqi wedding parties alone.
Comment by Brian — 9/28/2006 @ 3:25 pm
No wonder their leaders keep writing letters to each other complaining about how bad their (al-Qaeda) situation is. Also might have something to do with them having a 9% “approval” rating in Iraq.
Comment by Mark Eichenlaub — 9/28/2006 @ 3:28 pm
“I hope that number is low. It isn’t even half again as much as our own fatalities. We’ve been told that our kill rate of these guys was some astronomical multiple of our own losses.” As I understand it, these are just the foreign (to Iraq) fighters. On top of that there should be the Iraqi fighters themselves.
Comment by Tex the Pontificator — 9/28/2006 @ 3:50 pm
The Mideast, 165 (September 28, 2006)… 4,000 foreign Jihadists killed in Iraq: According to al-Qaeda. Austin Bay quotes an AP story quoting them. Bin Laden is alive and hiding in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s president Musharraf tells in an interview with The Times (UK) Gaza police protest:……
Trackback by Pajamas Media — 9/28/2006 @ 3:54 pm
To the new leader of I’llkeelya - - Why don’t you join them?
Comment by Daniel — 9/28/2006 @ 4:59 pm
We killed close to 4k in the retaking of Fallujah alone.
Comment by Ursus — 9/28/2006 @ 5:56 pm
“4,000 fighters”. This assumes, of course, that they know exactly how many fighters they have at any one time. Which I seriously doubt. Guesstimate, and seriously undecounted, is probably more accurate.
Comment by Mikey — 9/28/2006 @ 8:28 pm
Uh those of you saying the figure must be too low, the 4000 figure is foreign fighters only. We’ve killed tens of thousands of native Iraqi terrorists.
Comment by Jordan — 9/28/2006 @ 8:51 pm
The death count is unquestionably low, but we must not forget the quote from the thankfully late Zarqawi (paraphrased): If democracy succeeds in Iraq, there is no hope for a Muslim state. Lost in the painful footage of sectarian violence in Iraq is the fact that for the first time in nearly a century a nation deeply mired in totalitarianism and a future without any hint of hope now has the rudiments of a democratic framework. Since the forces inside and surrounding Iraq are militating against their success, our efforts should be a rallying cry for all those who, as President Reagan said, “must have freedom,” because that is their only hope; and, if we capitulate to the liberals, Iraq would descend into a maelstrom of protracted violence and chaos, which would be a victory for the Islamic jihadists in Iran and Syria. Bring on November! Philip Mella, Editor http://clearcommentary.townhall.com http://www.clearcommentary.com
Comment by Philip Mella — 9/28/2006 @ 10:03 pm
One time fly-bye, drive-bye–I don’t care: vaporize ‘em.
Comment by Pam in Fresno — 9/29/2006 @ 12:17 am
Here’s the cost of those 4000 dead: U.S. Dead = 2709 U.S. Wounded = 19910 http://www.icasualties.org/oif/ US war costs since September 11 exceed $500bn http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1883259,00.html?gusrc=ticker-103704 Civilians reported killed by military intervention in Iraq 43525 - 48317 http://www.iraqbodycount.net/ Of course, the only reason there were 4000 in Iraq in the forst place is because Bush started a war.
Comment by Scorpio — 9/29/2006 @ 2:28 am
The Mideast, 166 (September 29, 2006)… Caught by surprise: “Donald Rumsfeld’s Iraqi war plan worked beautifully for three weeks. U.S. troops quickly deposed Saddam Hussein and captured Baghdad with a relatively small force and with lightning speed. But with Iraq on the verge of civil……
Trackback by Pajamas Media — 9/29/2006 @ 4:37 am
The whack-a-mole strategy continues regardless http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/060928182130.rad6a54x.html
Comment by EmbersFire — 9/29/2006 @ 6:47 am
Before the Allies went into Afghanistan the intelligence estimates were that in excess of 20,000 trained at Al Qaeda camps. Most of these went home to wait. Killing them in Iraq is so much better than having them wait for the word to start attacking where they are waiting.
Comment by davod — 9/30/2006 @ 4:41 am
I wonder. Is Iraq a schewerpunct for alquaeda? I see from the article linked, that it mentions that the group had to repond or lose out, but I wonder if any given guerilla or insurgency group has a similar center of gravity, and whether this holds true for most similar circumstances. If true, this would cover an issue that big countries like us who face insurgencies rarely think about: How do we force them out of hiding, and into fighting?
Comment by bellisaurius — 9/30/2006 @ 4:16 pm
[…] Some good news, courtesy of Austin Bay:Â Al Qaeda admits to heavy losses due to US Forces in Iraq, according to the AP Office in Cairo. […]
Pingback by RudyCarrera.com » Fatal Attraction: 4000 Al Qaeda dead in Iraq — 9/30/2006 @ 9:16 pm
Their claim is an undoubted understatement. How many of their casualties survive? Just a proportion of those that we capture?
Comment by SCATTERSHOT — 10/1/2006 @ 2:50 am
The bug zapper is working. Better there than here. See how the ongoing conflict in Iraq is characterized as “sectarian” violence, as if it’s a petty religious conflict. They are fighting for control of oil, (obviously meaning that Bush doesn’t have control of the oil as leftie protestors often accuse), and they have previously rejected the Alaska solution (oil payments for every citizen/resident). The Alaska solution would end the conflict immediately if they can get over the desire to punish and exclude the other guy. We have a high injury count now due to excellent protective technology and field medicine, these soldiers would otherwise be dead without it. It’s analogous to the increase in disabled people because of airbags in cars…they would have been dead without the airbag. So hooray for a smaller number of dead and a higher number of injured. There’s good news behind this. An injured veteran and his/her family gets free benefits for life, did you know that? Veteran, spouse, children: cheap mortgage, free health care, free college education, etc. There’s the silver lining to the cloud.
Comment by kentuckyliz — 10/1/2006 @ 6:50 am
Exterminate jihadis. It is the will of Allah.
Comment by brooks — 10/3/2006 @ 3:11 pm
Al Qaeda casualties are probably much higher than they admit. The numbers are not high enough until I see UBL dead with his AK-47. Slightly off topic, but would someone tell me why we should run from a “civil” war? Vietnam was a civil war. Korea was a civil war. WWI was a civil war (Serbia). The war of northern aggression was called the Civil War. The American Revolution was a civil war. Are the weapons more deadly? The tactics different? What’s the Murtha panic civil war-phobia all about?
Comment by Arch — 10/3/2006 @ 3:53 pm
[…] Oh, and as for widening the terrorist threat: I’d guess those 4000 dead al Qaeda in Iraq might argue that point. If Kerry hadn’t lost in ‘04 and they were thus still alive and plotting against us, I mean. […]
Pingback by Cold Fury » Blog Archive » Kerry response to Americans’ outrage: SCREW YOU — 10/31/2006 @ 1:44 pm
[…] lacks mechanism to accurately track troops wounded in iraq …http://www.antiwar.com/casualties/Austin Bay Blog ? Fatal Attraction: 4000 Al Qaeda dead in IraqA release from CBS News?and the Associated Press in Cairo . The lede: The new leader of al Qaeda in […]
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